Nutrients in Social Wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae) Honey

Abstract

Previous investigators have questioned the temporal occurrence, biochemistry, and nutritional use of honey sometimes present in nests of some social polistine wasps. Honey of species in the genera Polistes and Polybia contains diverse amino acids. Inositols (alicyclic polyalcohols) also are present in the honey of both genera; quercitol was the most abundant inositol in honey of Polistes metricus (Say) from Missouri, but it was not present in honey of Polybia diguetana R. du Buysson from Costa Rica. Honey of P. metricus from Missouri is similar to that ofBrachygastra mellifica (Say) because it contained more fructose than glucose. Honey has been seen in P. metricus nests in Missouri at all phases of the colony cycle except late preemergence (1st pupae); scattered but suggestive observations indicate that swarm-founding tropical polistine wasps store honey primarily during low activity phases of the colony cycle in locales with alternating wet and dry or subtropical seasons. Although the nutritional value of wasp honey seems clear, the nutritional role of honey in wasp colonies remains unknown.

Nourishment affects colony demographics in the paper waspPolistes metricus

“…a nest with 20 cells would receive 10 drops, each 5 µl in size. The size, number, and placement of added honey droplets were similar to naturally occurring honey droplets that are commonly stored in nests by pre‐emergence foundresses (Hunt et al ., 1998). Honey on nest cell walls can be consumed by adults but not by the developing larvae (Hunt et al ., 1998).…”

“…The size, number, and placement of added honey droplets were similar to naturally occurring honey droplets that are commonly stored in nests by pre‐emergence foundresses (Hunt et al ., 1998). Honey on nest cell walls can be consumed by adults but not by the developing larvae (Hunt et al ., 1998). The maximum total amount of experimental supplementation was modest, being only ≈ 0.5 ml per nest over the 8‐week treatment period.…”

Food supplementation affects colony-level life history traits in the annual social wasp Polistes metricus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

“…Before the treatments commenced the nests had the same number of cells (F 1,21 = 0.0163, p > 0.85). The honey supplementation augments naturally occurring wasp honey that is commonly found in P. metricus nests in the beginning and later phases of the colony cycle (Hunt et al, 1982(Hunt et al, , 1998Hunt, 1991). Honey treatments began immediately following nest founding.…”

Cue-Mediated Recruitment in a Swarm-Founding Wasp: Successful Foragers Induce Nestmates to Search Off Nest for a Scented Carbohydrate Resource

“…Sixty-seven percent of the foragers coming to the testing dishes on July 1 chose the cherry-scented solution. Since P. occidentalis colonies store nectar [6,27], it was likely that colony members had been exposed to the scent of cherry for five days and thus were apt to search for the cherry rather than the newly introduced vanilla. Although this trial was not used for the forager-choice or latent phase analysis, it was included in foraging-rate analysis because nectar storage is not expected to affect foraging rates.…”

“…Several studies of Polybia occidentalis provide insight into the foraging process in this group. P. occidentalis is characterized by moderately large colony size and by the ability to store nectar in the nest [26,27]. During the founding stage, foraging rates are directly correlated with the number of cells in the nest and with the number of larvae in later developmental stages, both of which are indications of colony demand [28].…”